Any new experience with an infant presents it's challenges! When your infant is blind you have to invest more time and energy in the how of every new adventure! I desperately needed a change of scenery so despite the challenges of flying alone with an infant I knew it was needed for my mental health.
Like all things preparation is key. I did my research on what I could carry on and what I couldn't. The most difficult task was packing the breast pump due to it's size. And figuring out how to have milk to give Will on the plane. Oh and don't forget toys! I packed my carry on with clothes and musical toys. I took a big purse and put my breast pump and all electronics in it. Then I put anything we definitely needed during the flight in the diaper bag. I stuffed clothes inside of empty baby bottles and sippy cups to save on space.
What you are allowed when flying with an infant
Stroller - You are allowed a stroller which can be checked at the gate. This was very easy, each time we got off the plane it was right there waiting for us.
Car seat - This was the same process as stroller very simple and easy. Our car seat attaches to our stroller so it was easy getting through the airport with both.
Diaper bag - In addition to your carry on and personal item/purse you are allowed a diaper bag.
Anything else like pack n plays and similar items must be checked. Luckily we were traveling to see family and they were able to borrow a pack n play as well as a high chair.
What to have on hand during flight
I tried to pack just the diaper bag with anything we would need during the flight. That means diapers, wipes, baby snacks, bottle with milk, sippy cup, and TOYS!
Milk - I packed enough powder to make 4 ounces of milk. This was NOT enough. Feeding milk while take off and landing can help with the pressure change and their ears popping. Will drank all 4 ounces half way through take off. I wish I had taken enough to make 8 ounces at least. Get the water from the flight attendant as soon as you board and hold the bottle between your legs until take off. It warms it a little for them to drink.
Snacks - Each pack of teether crackers have 2 crackers so I had a total of 4. Again this was not enough. Will ate all 4 crackers on the hour flight. The other difficulty is that they broke in the bag making it hard to feed. Looking back I should have packed more and stored them in a tupperware so that they didn't break.
Toys - I packed a few of Will's favorite toys. What I had to consider however is that no one wants to listen to super noisy toys on a flight. Bells were out, certain rattles won't work, and forget about signing toys. I packed the singing toys in my suitcase and only put minimal noise making toys in the diaper bag. I took a quiet rattle, our electric toothbrush, and our dinosaur lovey with the rattle inside. Nothing too obnoxious. Bring lots of pacifier straps so that you can secure the toy to baby. Will had a pacifier and toy strapped to him at all times.
Our Flight Experience
The minute we boarded the plane Will was fussing. We had an aisle seat which I would highly recommend as you have more room to move around. The flight attendant helped me with my bags which was a god send! We sat next to a young man who was friendly and introduced himself. I introduced myself and Will and told him I was sorry in advance for any crying. I think I thoroughly shocked him when I told him my baby is blind and so all his toys make noise. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. Will was crying so much I had to give him the milk before take off to keep him happy. He was drinking it so quickly I tried to take it from him so we'd have some left, he didn't like that! At take off I had to give him water because that's all I had left. He drank the water happily and didn't cry once!
During the flight I continuously fed Will crackers and sang to him. I quickly ran out of songs and had to repeat some but luckily he didn't mind. He was happy all flight but did need constant care whether that meant crackers, singing, or a toy. My hands were so full between toys and crackers I used the seat pocket a lot and kept my phone tucked under my thigh.
As we started to land Will was getting sleepy. I had him curled up in my arm with a pacifier and sang as we descended. When we started landing I did my best to explain what was happening to him. He could have cared less as he started falling asleep in my arms. Once the tires hit the tarmac and we rolled to our gate he was passed out! I explained to our row buddy that I was not waking a sleeping baby and planned to wait until everyone was off the plane. I told him I'd let him out so he could get off, luckily he said he was in no hurry and waited with us.
Will definitely needed a diaper change after the flight but again I wasn't waking a sleeping baby unless I had too. The stroller and car seat were waiting for us right outside the plane. The flight attendant held Will while I got the stroller ready. He stayed asleep all the way until we were picked up at the curb!
For the flight home the airport was much busier and we had to walk to a completely different terminal. At this point he was a pro. We had 2 containers of baby food in our bag which passed through security with no problem. There was a family of 4 in the security line behind us and they helped me hold the stroller steady while we got adjusted before and after the metal detector.
I forgot the powdered milk this time I was so upset with myself. Will got nothing but water. Luckily he was much more content all the way around for this flight. We were in a window seat with extra leg room. This was problematic as I couldn't use the seat pocket to hold things. I had my phone under my thigh, cheerios in tupperware behind my back, bottle of water between my legs, crackers in my hands and toys strapped to Will. Because we were by the window we had less room over head and I couldn't stand Will on my lap without his head hitting the ceiling. We were seated next to a very nice mild aged man who was nice and continually picked up things off the floor for us.
Will was content eating crackers and as I talked to our new row friend we learned we had a lot in common. He evaluates and places children with special needs for Chicago City Schools. It was interesting to pick his brain about what school might look like for Will one day. It's amazing how situations like that can bring you next to people who you can relate with and learn from.
All flight Will was good. As soon as we landed grandma and grandpa were waiting for us. Once we were in the car headed home Will heard grandma's voice and was smiling and laughing. He was so happy to be home.
The experience certainly presented it's challenges but was well worth the trip. I kept telling myself any time I started feeling overwhelmed it's only a few hours of my life... I am lucky to have such an agreeable baby. I now know I could do any duration flight with help. The days flying were much more stressful on me than Will. He even slept good both nights after.
Biggest things to think about and plan for are what you will need on hand in the plane, what toys are less annoying than a baby crying, and how many snacks/milk you will need during the flight. Describe EVERYTHING, This is always true for blind children but especially during a flight. Prepare them for take off and landing so they know something big is coming. When we landed I explained to Will how the tires would hit the runway then we counted down until they hit. Flying with an infant is hard, and overwhelming period. The more prepared you are the better it will go, or they cry the whole time and you just power through. Either way it's only a few hours of you life :D and well worth it to visit friends and family!
